KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Royals have signed infielder/outfielder Willie Bloomquist to a two-year Major League contract through the 2010 season. In addition, the Royals have signed pitcher Kyle Davies to a one-year contract for 2009, avoiding arbitration. Consistent with club policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

"We're excited with the signing of Willie Bloomquist," Royals Senior Vice President-Baseball Operations/general manager Dayton Moore said. "He will be a tremendous asset to our team with his leadership and versatility to play second, short and all three outfield positions."

Bloomquist, 31, joins the Royals after spending his entire professional career in the Seattle Mariners organization, working almost exclusively at the Major League level for the past six seasons. A right-handed hitter and thrower, Bloomquist is a .263 career hitter in 540 games in the big leagues. The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder has stolen 71 bases in 87 attempts over his career, an 82% success rate, and has posted double-digit steals in four of the past five seasons despite limited playing time. Since joining the Mariners in 2002, the versatile Bloomquist has made at least 10 starts at every position with the exception of pitcher and catcher; appearing in 111 games at shortstop, 107 games at third base, 86 games at second base, 31 games at first base and a total of 168 games at all three outfield spots.

Born in Bremerton, Wash., Bloomquist and his wife, Lisa, reside in Peoria, Ariz., with their daughters, Natalie and Ava.

The 25 year old Davies went 9-7 with a 4.06 ERA in 21 starts for Kansas City in 2008. The 6-foot-2 Georgia native posted a 3.66 ERA in 12 starts following the All-Star break and was 4-1 in the month of September with a 2.27 ERA. Davies resides in McDonough, Ga., with his wife, Katie.